I was also late to The War of the Worlds reading party when I read it back in 2023! The book itself was slimmer than I expected, but there was quite a lot packed into it. I came away from the book hearing a broader push for humanity over machines (if you can believe such a thing), as I found within the story pages a warning against overreliance on machines and a loud call to action to preserve every bit of humanity we have as a bulwark against overt existential threats.
I was also late to The War of the Worlds reading party when I read it back in 2023! The book itself was slimmer than I expected, but there was quite a lot packed into it. I came away from the book hearing a broader push for humanity over machines (if you can believe such a thing), as I found within the story pages a warning against overreliance on machines and a loud call to action to preserve every bit of humanity we have as a bulwark against overt existential threats.